Maggie Sugg

Education

Ph.D., Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2015

M.A., Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2011

B.S., Biology (Chemistry and Geography Minors), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008

Research

My current research focuses on the spatiotemporal patterns of environmental health illnesses and how these patterns relate to environmental, socioeconomic, and climatic determinants. This research is guided by the social-ecological approach of vulnerability theory, which investigates the complex interplay between the environmental and social/economic aspects of a community. Using this theory, my research provides insights into the etiology of environmental-health diseases, highlighting both at risk populations and the environmental conditions that lead to adverse health outcomes. Presently, I have three main topical research interests: 1.) Environmental Exposure and Wearable Sensor Technology 2.) Mental Distress among Adolescents 3.) Indicators of Vulnerability and Resilience in the southeastern US

Personal Webpage

Teaching

The goal of my teaching is to create an environment that facilitates student interaction and encourages critical evaluation of the world.

Recent Courses:

GHY 3812: Geographic Information Systems
GHY 5800: Advanced Quantitative Methods for Graduate Students
GHY 4005: Geography of Health and Disease
GHY 5150: Seminar in GIScience
GHY 5025: Climate and Society

Publications

Sugg, M.M., Andersen, L., Shay, E., Tyson, J., and Runkle, J. Climate, Environment, and Public Health in Western North Carolina. Sustainable Health (Under Review)

Byrd, B., Richards, S., Runkle, J., and Sugg, M.M. Vector-borne Diseases and Climate Change: North Carolina Policy Should Promote Resilience at Regional Scale. North Carolina Medical Journal (Under Review)

Runkle, J., Sugg, M.M., Leeper, R.D., Rao, Y., Matthews, J.L., and Rennie, J.J. (2020). Short-term Effects of Specific Humidity and Temperature on COVID19 Morbidity in select US cities. Science of the Total Environment, 140093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140093

Runkle, J., Michael, K, Stevens, S., and Sugg, M.M. (2020). Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Text-based Crisis Patterns in Youth following Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas, 2018. Science of the Total Environment (Under Review)

Nelson, K., Runkle, J., and Sugg, M.M. (2020). Reporting Back Environmental Health Data Among Outdoor Occupational Workers in the Cold Season in North Carolina, USA. Southeastern Geographer, 60(2):159-182.

Sugg, M.M., Fuhrmann, C.M., and Runkle, J. (2020). Geospatial Approaches to Measuring Personal Heat Exposure and Related Health Effects in Urban Settings. In Geospatial Technologies for Urban Health (pp. 13-30). Springer, Cham.

Bailey, E., Fuhrmann, C., Runkle, J., Stevens, S, Brown, M., and Sugg, M.M. (2020). Wearable Sensors for Personal Temperature Exposure Assessments: A Comparative Study. Environmental Research, 180:108858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.108858

Wilson, M, Lane, S, Mohan, R., and Sugg, M.M. (2020). Internal and External Validation of Vulnerability Indices: A Case Study of the Multivariate Nursing Home Vulnerability Index. Natural Hazards. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-019-03837-4

Sugg, M.M., Fuhrmann, C.M, and Runkle, J.D. (2019). Perceptions and experiences of outdoor occupational workers using digital devices for geospatial biometeorological monitoring. International Journal of Biometeorology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-019-01833-8

Sugg, M.M., Michael, K. Stevens, S. Filbin, B., Weiser, J., and J. Runkle. (2019). Crisis Text Patterns in Youth following the Release of 13 Reasons Why Season 2 and Celebrity Suicides: A Case Study of Summer 2018. Preventative Medicine Reports, 16:100999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100999

Andersen, L.M., and M.M. Sugg. (2019). Geographic Multi-Criteria Evaluation and Validation: A Case Study of Wildfire Vulnerability in Western North Carolina, USA Following the 2016 Wildfires. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 39:101123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101123

Runkle, J.R., Cui, C., Fuhrmann. C.M., Stevens, S., Del Pinal, J. and Sugg, M.M. (2019) Evaluation of Wearable Sensors for Physiologic Monitoring of Individually Experienced Temperatures in Outdoor Workers in Southeastern U.S. Environmental International, 129:229-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.05.026

Osborne, Z., S. van de Gevel, M. Eck, and M.M. Sugg. (2019). An Assessment of Geospatial Technology Integration in K-12 Education. Journal of Geography, 119(1):12-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221341.2019.1640271

Thompson, K., Sugg, M.M., and Barth, M. (2019). The North Carolina Food Pantry Organizational Capability and Mapping Study. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9(1):1-13. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2019.091.031

Sugg, M.M., Stevens, S.S., and Runkle, J.D. (2019). Estimating Personal Ambient Temperature in Moderately Cold Environments for Occupationally Exposed Populations. Environmental Research, 173:497-507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.03.066

Sugg, M.M., P. Grady Dixon, and J. Runkle (2019). Crisis Support-Seeking Behavior and Temperature in the United States: Is there an Association in Young Adults and Adolescents? Science of the Total Environment, 669:400-411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.434

Thompson, L.C., Michael, K., Runkle, J.R., and M.M. Sugg. (2019). Crisis Text Line Use Following the Release of Netflix Series 13 Reasons Why Season 1: Time Series Analysis of Help-Seeking Behavior in Youth. Preventative Medicine Reports, 100825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.100825

Wilson, M., M.M. Sugg, and S. Lane. (2019). Identifying Multivariate Vulnerability of Nursing Home Facilities throughout the Southeastern United States. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 36:101106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101106

Runkle, J.R., Sugg, M.M., Boase, D., Galvin, S. and Coulson, C. (2019) Use of Wearable Sensors for Pregnancy Health and Environmental Monitoring: Descriptive Findings From the Perspective of Patients and Providers. Digital Health, 5:2055207619828220. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055207619828220

Andersen, L.M., Bonevac, A.N., Thompson, L.K., Dempsey, K.E., Shay, E.D., and Sugg, M.M. (2019). Understanding Key Informant Experiences and Perceptions of the 2016 Drought and Wildfires in Western North Carolina, USA. Weather, Climate, and Society. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-18-0061.1

Thompson, L.C., Sugg, M.M., and Runkle, J.R. (2018) Adolescents in Crisis: A Geographic Exploration of Help-Seeking Behavior Using Data from Crisis Text Line. Social & Scientific Medicine, 215:69-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.08.025

Sugg, M.M., (2018). Heat-Health Vulnerability in North Carolina. North Carolina Medical Journal, 79:320-321. DOI: 10.18043/ncm.79.5.320

Sugg, M.M., Fuhrmann, C.M., and Runkle, J.D. (2018). Temporal and Spatial Variation in Personal Ambient Temperatures for Outdoor Populations in the Southeastern USA. International Journal of Biometeorology, 62(8):1521-1534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-018-1553-z

Thompson, L.K., Sugg, M.M., and Runkle, J.D. (2018). Report-Back for Geo-referenced Environmental Data: A Case Study on Personal Monitoring of Temperature in Outdoor Workers. Geospatial Health, 13(1):629. https://doi.org/10.4081/gh.2018.629

Fuhrmann, C.M., Sugg, M.M., and Konrad, C.E. (2016). Airborne Pollen Characteristics and the Influence of Temperature and Precipitation in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA (1999-2012). Aerobiologia. 32(4):683-696. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-016-9442-6

Sugg, M.M., Konrad C.E., and Fuhrmann, C.M. (2016). Relationships between Maximum Temperature and Heat-Related Illness across North Carolina, USA. International Journal of Biometeorology, 60(5):663-675. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-015-1060-4

Fuhrmann, C.M., Sugg, M.M., Konrad, C.E., and Waller, A. (2016). Impact of Extreme Heat Events on Emergency Department Visits in North Carolina (2007 to 2011). Journal of Community Health, 41(1):146-156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-0080-7

Kovach, M.M., Konrad C.E., and Fuhrmann, C.M. (2015). Area-level Risk Factors for Heat-Related Illness in Rural and Urban Locations across North Carolina, USA. Applied Geography, 60:175-183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.03.012

Kovach, M.M., and C.E. Konrad. (2014). The Spatial Distribution of Tornadoes and High Wind Impacts Associated with Inland-Moving Tropical Cyclones in the Southeastern United States. Physical Geography, 35:245-271. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723646.2014.909231

Fuhrmann, C.M., Konrad, C.E., Kovach, M.M., McLeod, J.T., Schmitz, W.G., and Dixon, P.G. (2014). Ranking of Tornado Outbreaks across the United States and their Climatological Characteristics. Weather and Forecasting, 29:684-701. https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-13-00128.1

Fuhrmann, C.M., Konrad C.E., Kovach, M.M., Perkins, D.J. (2011). The August 2007 Heat Wave in North Carolina: Meteorological Factors and Local Variability. Physical Geography, 32(3):217-240. https://doi.org/10.2747/0272-3646.32.3.217